The present invention relates to dispensing racks, and in particular, to a dispensing rack for dispensing stackable articles such as tobacco products, photographic film, cassette tapes and the like.
Dispensing racks are frequently used in a variety of commercial retail environments in order to support and simultaneously display a variety of consumer goods. These dispensing racks are a common fixture in grocery stores, drug stores, department stores and other similar retail establishments as they provide a space effective means of supporting and advertising certain products. Such racks may be equipped to hold one or more types of product in a variety of different orientations. Some of the products frequently promoted and dispensed from these dispensing racks include photographic film, cassette tapes, video cassettes, and especially tobacco products, and in particular cigarettes.
Many prior art dispensing racks are composed of a large number of separate elements which require substantial time and effort to assemble and disassemble. Furthermore, many prior art dispensing racks, despite being relatively large, are incapable of supporting a large quantity of product because the structural configuration of the rack reduces the area in which product may be supported.
Frequently, these dispensing racks are moved to different locations within a single store for a variety of reasons. Such reasons include expansion of the store, particular promotional activities, or renovation of the store itself. During the time that the dispensing rack is being assembled and disassembled, it cannot serve its function of dispensing and promoting goods.
Additionally, the disassembly and reassembly at a separate location has a tendency to utilize a great deal of labor and disrupt normal store activities. Furthermore, assembly and disassembly of a dispensing rack conveys an image of clutter and increases the noise experienced by shoppers, thereby detracting from their shopping experience. Also, it is quite common that these dispensing racks are moved from one store to another or to a warehouse. Consequently, the ability to simply and efficiently assembly and disassemble a dispensing rack is a key feature and of great importance to its owner. A particularly successful dispensing rack having a structure which is easily assembled and disassembled may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,821 issued to Nook et al. on Jan. 31, 1989.
Another key feature of any dispensing rack is its ability to be reconfigured to accommodate more than one product having different dimensional characteristics, and to hold one or more products in different spatial orientations. The ability of a dispensing rack to be easily and quickly reconfigured to accommodate changing products specifications increases its value to the retailer. Still another key attribute of a dispensing rack is found in its ability to store a large number of products easily and efficiently.
Generally, it may be desirable to provide a dispensing rack which may be operated by store personnel while being inaccessible to consumers. Furthermore, it would be desirable to provide a dispensing rack capable of clearly displaying the product stored therein and thereby eliminate the need for additional advertising on the dispensing rack itself.
Consequently, there exists a need for a dispensing rack which is easily assembled and disassembled, and maximizes the space available for the support and display of product. Furthermore, given the recent regulatory constraints placed upon the promotion and sale of tobacco products, there exists a need for a dispensing rack which can be operated by store personnel while being capable of displaying product in a variety of orientations to thereby maximize the consumer's perception of the advertising and promotional material contained on the product package.